forth is this, viz. That though the foul and body are separated by death; and the latter in a very fhort time is reduced to its original earth,-mouldered into duft and ashes,-diffolved into infinite millions of mere atoms,-each perhaps difperfed into as many diffe. rent places; and after continuing during fuch tate of diffolution and feparation for ages,-perhaps innumerable ages yet to come, and undergoing as innumerable changes and transformations, yet, that each particle of each individual body fhall, at the general refurrection, by the almighty power of God, be again collected, united together, and reftored to life again, in the fame identical fubftance, which each particular foul inhabited in the prefent life, and in this ftate of re-union and revivifcence to enter upon a new and quite different state of existence,—a future life of infinite happiness, or exquifite mifery;-not like the fhort and fhadowy one already paft, but which fhall continue to all eternity,—throughout all ages,—a world everlafting and without end.' Such Mr. Bateman afferts to be the doctrine of the resurrection, as revealed in the gospel: but afferts without attempting to prove. He merely endeavours to obviate an objection that may be made to its credibility, by alleging that God is omnipotent; an argument which will equally prove the credibility of every thing which falls within the limits of poffibility. In his illustration of the apostle's allufion to the manner in which the fruits of the earth are produced from feed, he afferts, that' in order to propagate every species of feed which the earth bringeth forth,-from one, to produce an hundred meafures of grain;-the way, the only way, is to caft that one into the ground, and fuffer it to continue there till it be entirely dead, putrified and reduced, fo far as our fenfes can perceive, to nothing; or fo mingled with the dust of the earth, as not to be diftinguished from it.' For this exaggerated and mistaken reprefentation, we may leave him to the correction of every one who is acquainted with the procefs of vegetation, and indeed of every common farmer in his parish. The fecond Sermon is upon Luke xxiii. 42, 43. It gives the common interpretation of our Saviour's reply to the penitent malefactor, To-day thou shalt be with me in Paradife. He boldly afferts, that to imagine,' that the foul remains in a ftate of infenfibility from the moment of death to the general refurrection, is a doctrine utterly derogatory to the Almighty, and inconfiftent with all bis attributes of wifdom, of goodness, and mercy to mankind.' The following paragraph, intended by our Author as a reply to those who prefume to ask, why is the foul detained thus long in a state of feparation from the body?' &c. applies fo well to the above assertion, and indeed to all that he has advanced with much positivity, and little argument, refpecting both the refurrection of the body, and the intermediate state, that we are tempted to tranfcribe it. It is a very favourable fpecimen of his language. God has promifed you a life of infinite and eternal happinefs hereafter his goodnefs difpofes, and his power enables him to perform what he has thus promifed. Ceafe then from fearching to be wife above what is written. Do you, through faith and hope, accept the blefing; and leave the means, and time of of accomplishing it, to his wifdom. To pry too inquifitively into the ways of providence, and afpire to comprehend all the causes,the reafons, and the methods of God's dealings with mankind in bringing them to everlasting happiness, is equally prefumptuous, as it is above man's understanding, and can ferve no other purpose than to render him diffatisfied with the prefent ftate, and doubtful of the future.' In his Dedication of these difcourfes to the Bishop of Lincoln, Mr. Bateman speaks of them as the first fruits of his labours of this kind, and fubmits them to his Lordship's judgment and that of the Reader's;' as he means from thence to be determined with respect to the publication of fome others. If his Lordship's judgment, and that of the Public fhould agree with ours, he will not be encouraged to add any more to the already countless number of printed fermons. Em. FAST-DAY SERMONS. (Continued: See REV. for April.). Ingenious, but rather too florid for the occafion. The Author A well-intended Vindication of Divine Providence in the infliction Bk. Contains fome fevere ftrictures on the prevailing vices of the prefent age, which have occafioned the diftreffes brought on us by the hand of God, as a neceffary chaflifement of national fins. The Preacher touches on the fhameful infults offered to religion at the numerous difputing clubs in the city; and the fhocking profanation of the Lord's Day, by the impious inflitution at Carlifle Houfe. XIII. National Calamities, the neceffary Effects of national Wickedness.Preached at the Church of St. Warburgh, Derby. By Ellis Henry, A. B Rector of Cranford in Northamptonshire. 4to. 6 d. Rivington. The text is taken from Ifaiah, lix. 2. The Author applies this portion of Holy Writ to the prefent times, and obferves, that, with respect to this country, there are fome par-ticular vices, by which it is become moft confpicuously infamous. 8 The Do : The vices he enumerates, are,-a general difregard for every appear- A very good difcourfe on the nature and improvement of a fast. XV. Unity of Faith, Righteousness of Life, and Obedience to the B.k Do XVI. Preached at the Cathedral Church of Sarum. By Walter Wilkie. Pious, modeft, and candid! XVII. The hypocritical Faft, with its Defign, and Confequences. SINGLE SERMONS on various Occafions. I. Popery, The Man of Sin; The Son of Perdition; The Mystery of Iniquity. The Subitance of a Sermon preached on Nov. 5, 178c. 8vo. 6d. Buckland, &c. Who is the Author of this Difcourfe, or where it was preached,、 remains a fecret; but a Dedication informs us that it is published at the folicitation and expence of Edward Webiter, Efq. The Preacher totally difavows any reference to perfons; my bufinefs, he fays, is not with papists, but with popery; not with the religious of any denomination, but with their profeffional religion.' And indeed he gives, in this fenfible and fpirited fermon, fuch a view of popery, as is fufficient to make us watchful against it's encroachments, and engage us, in his own words, while we beware of perfecuting, to beware alfo of being per/ecuted.' H. II. A Discourse, in two Parts, on Ifaiah, Chap. vii. Ver. 14, 15, 16. Preached before the University of Cambridge, Dec. 24, 1780. By T. Poftlethwaite, B. D. Fellow of Trinity College. 4to. I S. Cadell, &c. The Author of this fenfible and ingenious Difcourfe rejects the different explications which have been given of the prediction which he examines, and among the reft that of the learned Bithop Lowth. He apprehends that interpreters have been mistaken in their fuppofition that it was delivered with the view of perfuading and convincing King King Abaz that he should be delivered from an invafion which then menaced him with atter destruction, and endeavours to shew that it had a very different object;' viz. That it is a diftinct and literal prediction of the birth of Christ, unembarraffed with double fenfes; that it is defcriptive, in part at least, both of his dignity and humiliation; that it neither had nor was meant to have any completion but in his perfon; and that a fign (a miraculous fign, if the prediction of future events be miraculous) is therein held out to Ahaz, and the houfe of David, not only to evince to them the certainty of this extraordinary birth, but to infpire them with an affured hope and expectation that the line of David fhould never fail till this wonderful prophecy had received it's full accomplishment.' The only alteration he makes in our common verfion of the paffage is in the 16th verfe, where, inflead of before the child,' he would read, For before a child,' &c. This he prefumes will leave us at liberty, and with good reafon, to underland this verfe of some other child than that just spoken of in the fourteenth and fifteenth verfes. The following is a thort abstraN of our Author's paraphrafe of the passage: Behold, in the fulness of time, a Virgin fhall conceive and bear a Son, and fhall call his name Immanuel-This illustrious offspring of David fhall not come into the world in the ordinary course of haman generation.-His exalted perfections indeed may well be uppofed to be exempt from human frailties, yet he shall not affume that privilege. He ball not even be a stranger to the weaknees of childhood. Butter and honey fhall he eat, that he may know how to refufe the evil, and chufe the good."-His infancy fhall require to be nurfed with the fame tender care as that of the frail offfpring of man; and the fame mild and delicate food shall be neceffary to his growth in fature and wisdom. This bumble and affe&tionate condefcenfion may well feem to you ftrange and unaccountable. It is indeed wonderful; but neither impoffible, nor incredible. For by this fign, which God now holds out to you, ye may affuredly know that this exalted perfon, this promifed feed, thall in his appointed time vouchfafe to blefs his people with this divine vifitation." Before a Child fhall know to refuse the evil, and choose the good, the land that thou abhorret fhall be forfaken of both her Kings."In less time than a child can be begotten, born, and become capable of diftinguishing good from evil; thefe two kings, who now menace you with instant and apparently unavoidable deftruction, fhall lofe both their kingdoms, and their lives. If this come not to pass, then fay that the Lord hath not fpoken by me. But when ye fee your deliverance, now fo hopeless, accomplished, both in time and circumstances, according to my words, it will then be the indifpenfible duty both of you and your children, with humble and implicit confidence, to expect, and look forward to, God's appointed time for difplaying to the world this myfterious difpenfation.' Thus it appears, Mr. Poftlethwaite adds, that my text confifts of two parts. The two firft verfes contain an exprefs and literal prediction of the birth and character of Chrift; the laft verfe holds out a prophetic fign, whofe completion (fo foon to take place) should give full affurance to Ahaz and the house of David, that the preceding 2 prophecy prophecy concerning the Meffiah, fhould in due time be punctually fulfilled. • It was not then in the prophet's intention to ftruggle longer with the perverfe and unconquerable incredulity of Ahaz and his houfe. It was comparatively of fmall importance to allay their fears, or to demonftrate to them the certainty of a deliverance which was almoft immediately to be accomplished. But this illuftrious prediction of the birth of the Meffiah was of high and unspeakable confequence not only to the house of David, but to the general interests of religion in all fucceeding ages. And it was with the utmoft propriery that the prophet refted the evidence and expectation of it on a deliverance, which impotence and defpair had then reprefented as utterly hopeless and incredible.' Other confiderations are offered to illuftrate and confirm the explication given of the paffage in question, particularly from what follows in the farther part of the chapter, concerning Maher-fhalal-hashbaz; for which we must refer our readers to the pamphlet. H. III. The Character, Temper, Qualifications, and Duty of a faithful Minifter. A Sermon preached December 22d, 1780; at the Ordination of the Rev. Mr. Thomas Rutledge. By the Rev. William Rutherford, A. M. Mafter of the Academy at Uxbridge. 8vo. Is. Murray. This Sermon breathes an excellent fpirit of piety, candour, and true Chriflian zeal. It is plain, but animated and forcible. The Author expreffes a modeft wish to have his Sermon perused rather with a fpirit of candour, than ftri&t criticism.' He need not be alarmed through apprehension of the latter; and as to the former, his pious and benevolent defign would entitle him to more indulgence, than he at prefent ftands in need of. BK IV. Innocence in eminent Luftre, and Malevolence confound ed. A Thanksgiving Sermon, preached Feb. 11, 1-81, on the honourable and happy Deliverance of Lord George Gordon, Prefident of the Proteftant Affociation. By W. Auguftus Clarke. 8vo. 6d. Keith. If Lord George's counfel had not managed his cause with more kill and addrefs than this Preacher, his Lordship would certainly have been hang'd! KNOX on Liberal Education; HAYLEY's Triumph of Temper, and fome other articles which have been too long delayed, will appear in Our next. +++ LEGION's favour is entitled to our candid acknowledgment. *. In the Catalogue Article of Confiderations on the Propriety of the Clergy acting in the Commiffion of the Peace, (last Meath, p. 380); the Reader ought to be informed, that the extract from that pamphlet, in the fecond par. of the article, ends with that paragraph: the next following paragraph (which is erroneously marked as a continuation of the extract) being the Reviewers remarks on the pasfage just cited. The quotation mark fhould, therefore, be transferred from the beginning of the third line, p. 381, to the end of the fecond line. |